A favorite joint of Albertans addicted to skiing, Fernie pleases those who like to indulge in powder, who prefer sticking to the green, and even those who would rather ride the pipe. Fernie’s stash is as varied as it is pleasing and if you come to her party, you’ll forget how long it’s really been since 1999.
Truly blessed by the snow gods/goddesses/aliens/future humans, Fernie gets more than her fair share of the snow pie. You can almost always find a fresh line to sample. Traversing out to the far reaches of Fernie’s boundaries will lead you to some great pitches, hard tree lines and secret powder stashes. The really good terrain is not just exposed in the open bowls, but lies behind little drops, in little tree crannies and down long, bumpy, freshly-cut traverses made by locals in the know.
I wont tell you where exactly, because then they would have to kill me, but if you are nice, and buy rounds, you may make some friends who will take you to the mother lode.
Fernie really does have terrain for all levels. As they like to say “Fernie is as steep as you want it to be.” If you are a newer skier, don’t be afraid. This mountain will please you and gently taunt and tease you to try something a little more…challenging. There are also really cool “extreme” skiing programs out of Fernie and one specifically for women who may not have yet learned how to ski powder, or ya know, drop cliffs. A great way to initiate your extreme skiing career is to learn from some Fernieites.
When you get the munchies, the town of Fernie has a lot of restaurants. You can take your pick, ‘be guided by your cravings young skier’. For foodies, there are some unique gourmet cuisine restaurants in this ski town. Do partake. They’re excellent.
Fernie also hugs you like a good ski town should. Dogs roam free, people say “hey” or “what’s up” as they pass. Every car or truck or hybrid (of car/truck) is encased in snow. Little twinkly lights highlight the edges of the buildings, merry après skiers spill out from the bars, happy people just pop out of every corner, every alley, every snow-bank. And why shouldn’t they be happy damn it, they live in Fernie.
The one thing that needs improvement, I’m sad to say, is the on-sight Après scene. Since the ski hill is a ways away from the town, Après is well….missing. There’s not much of a party vibe at the cafeteria after skiing so you’ll have to save it for town which is unfortunately too far to road-ski back to. You’ll need a car.
Fernie is close to Calgary, three hours or so and you can easily make a trip to Panorama, Kimberly or even Kicking Horse if you have a week or two to play in the BEST SKI AREA IN CANADA….I’m biased since I grew up here, but you can trust me. It’s impossible to avoid being seduced by these tempting temples. Just say a little snow prayer or do a little precipitation dance and believe that Mother Nature will come through for you. She almost always smiles on Fernie.
